1. Field of the Present Invention
The present invention relates to a process and apparatus for making metal alkoxides by the reaction of a metal and alcohol wherein the metal is suspended in a column above a reactor vessel containing alcohol. The alcohol is refluxed so that it makes contact with the metal in the column.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 2,965,663 to W. E. Smith et al. shows the general technique of making metal alkoxides by using the general type of process and apparatus shown herein. The Smith et al. patent illustrates a reactor containing alcohol which has on its upper surface a column containing the reactive metal. The alcohol is heated so that it refluxes and makes contact with the metal in the column. The alkoxide product drips back into the reactor after the alcohol has made contact with the metal in the column. Provision is made for removal of the product from the reactor with recycle of reactant alcohol to the reactor. An improved version of this general procedure is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,094,546 to R. S. Towers which provide for a by-pass line allowing for bypassing of a certain portion of the alcohol reagent from the column directly into the reactor without making contact with the reactant metal.
Some metals react slowly or do not react at all with alcohols to form the respective alkoxides without the use of a catalyst. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,278,571 to K. S. Mazdiyasni et al. teaches the use of certain mercuric chloride catalysts to form certain alkoxides of yttrium, dysprosium, and ytterbium. When less reactive metal/alcohol combinations are proposed for use in the general type of column/reactor procedure and apparatus shown in the aforementioned Smith et al. and Towers patents, the reaction may proceed very slowly or not at all. Therefore, a need exists for a modified version of the aforementioned column/reactor apparatus to initiate and sustain the reaction when such sluggish or non-reactive metal/alcohol combinations are employed. It is to this need that the present process and apparatus are directed.